Campus police give advice on staying safe

Students should use all five senses to be secure on campus, officer says.

By Maritza Ramirez

sac-ranger@alamo.edu

Students need to develop street smarts and know how to quickly contact campus police in an emergency, a police officer at this college said.

When walking, students should not wear headphones or ear buds because they need to be aware of their surroundings, Alamo Colleges Officer D. Reyes said Sept. 1 during an interview.

“You need all your Spidey senses,” Reyes said.

If something or someone looks suspicious, let the campus police know when the situation occurred and what happened, he said.

“If something doesn’t look right, let us know,” Reyes said.

If students, faculty or staff don’t feel safe or if they feel someone is following them, they can get a police escort to walk them to their car from class or work, he said.

To arrange a police escort, call the non-emergency number, 210-485-0099.

Campus police can provide video presentations throughout the semester about what to do when hearing gunshots or seeing a shooter. As of now, presentations will be in classrooms only upon request. Faculty can email dst-dpsdispatch@alamo.edu or call the non-emergency number. Event information also can be found on signs or screens around campus or in emails from police.

There are no upcoming presentations, but Reyes said a presentation schedule will come out soon.

Students and employees can learn from the videos how to be safe whether they are alone or in a crowd, Reyes said.

The video shows the viewer step by step how to handle a dangerous situation — from trying to get away or hide to fighting for one’s life — for example, “if someone walked into the Moody Learning Center and started shooting everyone,” Reyes said.

Reyes recommends keeping the emergency number on speed dial so people can have it at their fingertips in an urgent situation.

Campus police can be reached all day on the non-emergency phone number at 210-485-0099 or the emergency number at 210-485-0911.